Learn English with English, baby!

Join for FREE!

Social_nav_masthead_logged_in
Using Song Lyrics to Improve Listening Comprehension

Using Song Lyrics to Improve Listening Comprehension

Date: Mar 23 2009

Topic: Listening

Author: nad1a

Lesson

It's probably no news to you that songs lyrics can be a great listening exercise and practice. You can improve your comprehension and pronunciation and, also, learn a couple of new words and structures. So over here, I would suggest a way to combine your interests in music with learning English.

One thing you can do is, have gap-filling exercises with songs lyrics. You listen to the song and try and find the missing (erased) words in the lyrics.  It's easy to find ready-to-use exercises of that type online.

But if you're interested in a specific song you can't find exercises for, you can either prepare one for yourself, get the lyrics and erase some of the words in it, or have a sort of dictation, where you listen and write what you hear and then check your work. 

1. Listen to the song to understand the main meaning, what it is about etc
2. Listen to it trying to fill the gaps.
3. Check your work and listen to it again.
4. Take out the unknown or interesting words. Search the internet for more collocations and associations with those words. Make your own sentences with them.
5. Listen to the song again (and sing along if you're in the mood :-)) You can do that while reading along and then without the written lyrics, trying to see if you can understand everything you hear.


Actually, you can use this approach with all kind of listening material. You can practice with narrated stories or conversations, interviews. Of course, you will need the scripts and the recorded audio material. Luckily, you can easily get hold of the lyrics of almost any song, or the scripts of any movie or a show online.

This may sound like a lot of work, but after all, you want to learn, right? And apart from that, if you really like the song or the artist in question, you won't necessarily feel like you're doing any work at all. :-)

 ***

I've made a collection of some Similar exercises .

 

More lessons on Pronunciation

Comments

Log in to Comment

liulifang2009

China

I don't know how to use it….

05:47 AM Apr 08 2009 |

can_can

can_can

Turkey

this method is so usefulll especially lyrics.lyrics.
thanks

09:28 AM Apr 06 2009 |

nad1a

nad1a

Greece

"there is nothing to brag about"

*

brag

Verb[bragging, bragged] to speak arrogantly and boastfully Noun1. boastful talk or behavior * I don't really get what you mean. Which part of what I said, sounds like 'bragging' to you? :-)

 

04:45 PM Apr 02 2009 |

kukuka

kukuka

Ukraine

well it's your job isn't it? I think proffesionals should be freaks of their occupation. there is nothing to brag about

02:09 PM Apr 02 2009 |

kukuka

kukuka

Ukraine

Just sometimes i can't get what they sing in my native language… but i think the idea of other listening materials is great. I used to listen to audiobooks on my way home and to work. It was good. First, i was reading books and some of them were good and interesting. and secondly, it worked like a comprehension excersise. 

02:03 PM Apr 02 2009 |

SÉRGIO

SÉRGIO

Brazil

Cool! nice tips!

thanks!!

07:25 PM Apr 01 2009 |

xuguojian

xuguojian

China

Yeah !That's a great way to practise listening !But could you give me some songs which suits for practise !Thanks a lot !

02:28 AM Mar 29 2009 |

jokina

jokina

Georgia

heloo nad1ia, I am a new memeber in this program and 

I realy like this  method :)

thanks.

12:24 AM Mar 29 2009 |

mido vip

Egypt

hi nad1a. thanx about that, thats realy agood way to improve our languge and i did it befor it was great and i do it always thanx agine we need more;):D

11:24 PM Mar 27 2009 |

nad1a

nad1a

Greece

Prince of Love,

You should find some fun material to practice your listening skills, and once you're good at listening, you'll be able to listen to any kind of conversation or whatever the subject.

If you're preparing for a test, you should practice with similar tasks, however boring that may be! :-)

12:37 PM Mar 25 2009 |

amany7

amany7

Saudi Arabia

Good one ,

n for me now this is the best exercise to ehance my listening and pronunciation :) ..... 

you know sometimes it takes me a time to realize that am listening to an English song … really dissappointing…:(

I'll check the links …

05:38 PM Mar 24 2009 |

Futuristic

Futuristic

Philippines

Wow! This lesson help us to learn english perfectly you dont need to worry about just listen your favourite tracks anfd get the lyrics online then edit it remove the words or phrases and then listen again to your music until you understand it.

04:13 PM Mar 23 2009 |

nad1a

nad1a

Greece

thanks, maybe it's just me, ready to do crazy things when I really want to do something  lol like learning , I could  well qualify as a 'language freak'  :-))

04:11 PM Mar 23 2009 |

melamela

Ethiopia

It's good tip inorder to develop lesteninig skill. one of the method I am using to improve my lestening is studying song Lyrics its good not only for the language matter but also helps you to understand the song deepley.

thanks nada posting this for us

02:33 PM Mar 23 2009 |

Likes (35):

See all >

Share this lesson:

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Bebo
  • Share on Myspace
  • Share on Twitter
  • Email this to a friend
  • Share on Sina

Post Ebaby! lessons on your blog:

Ebaby! Cast